Havlin publishes sixth book: ‘The Cross on Cotton Creek’

November 28, 2012

A Pine Island resident of 30 years recently published his sixth book, with a new one coming out after the first of the year.

DL Havlin said while he was in high school, his English teachers tried to get him into creative writing, which he detoured from. After high school, he pursued a career in industrial management at the University of Cincinnati.

His career path eventually changed after his children wanted him to record his experiences while traveling oversees, which included 100 countries. With that request, Havlin began writing some of his stories down, which were eventually read by an editor his friend knew.

Article Photos

"That's the way I got my stories published," he said, which occurred in the early 1990s as short stories.

Over the years his short stories turned into novels, with his latest one, "The Cross on Cotton Creek," hitting the shelves at the end of May.

The book, which sets in 1954, takes place during a pilgrimage the Dawes family takes every five years to paint a cross that sits on top of a church ruin. The book takes the reader on a number of flashbacks about a confederate soldier and an officer, which tells the story of why the tradition remains after so many years.

"Trapped behind enemy lines, injured and helpless to move on, they accept the kindness of the minister and his family that cares for them. It's not long before they realize that a bounty has been placed on all confederates' heads and that some members on the community are desperate to cash in."

The new book, Havlin said, tackles what he has seen fallen - dedication to the word that you give. He said someone's word should have value.

"My philosophy is readers are thinkers," Havlin said, adding "people that really want to learn and have an appetite to think by themselves."

He said people who like to read investigate the words and see what he is relaying and find supportive information.

Havlin's motto is "open minds, opens books."

The inspiration for his novels comes from traveling internationally, as well as his 29 years of experience with coaching football at the high school and amateur youth level.